New Releases for November 26, 2013

November 25, 2013

CDs:

Aanipaa – Through A Pre-Memory CD/2xLP (Editions Mego)

New collaborative project from Mika Vainio (Pan Sonic) and Stephen O’Malley (Sunn0)))). The signature motifs of both players are to be found here: the sparse, crushing rhythms of Vainio’s minimalist techno alongside the black-hole drones of O’Malley’s guitar workouts.

Away – Cities CD (Utech Recordings)

Away is the solo project of Voivod drummer Michel Langevin. Recorded in and around Montreal and on the road with Voivod, Cities is an experience in travel via sound, capturing both the geography and the music of the locations visited. Local color and nature recordings clash with riots and discord, capturing the full human experience across the world. This tour is a fast paced one, rapidly weaving through the geographic locations building a diverse, yet consistently engaging experience.

Billy Joe Armstrong & Norah Jones – Foreverly CD (Reprise)

The result of a collaboration between Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Norah Jones, Foreverly is a collection inspired by Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, an album of traditional Americana songs reinterpreted, recorded and released by The Everly Brothers in 1958. The album captures the beauty of the Everly’s stunning close harmonies to create a moving and powerful testament to these traditional ballads.

Beachwood Sparks – Desert Skies CD/LP (Alive)

Previously unreleased debut album the by L.A.-based cosmic country-rock combo.

Danielle Bradberry – Danielle Bradberry CD (Republic)

This seventeen-year-old charmed her way into the national spotlight with a mix of country hits from several decades during Season 4 of The Voice.

This EP contains one track from the seminal Aufheben, the other three tracks are exclusive and unreleased to this release.

Harold Budd – Wind In Lonely Faces 2xCD (All Saints)

First ever career-spanning collection of this massively important figure in the history of ambient music and minimalism. Features tracks from classic albums such as Plateaux Of Mirror, The Pearl and Lovely Thunder and collaborations with Brian Eno, The Cocteau Twins and John Foxx.

Harold Budd – BuddBox 7xCD (All Saints)

Anthology box set containing seven hard-to-find and critically acclaimed albums, released on labels such as Cantil, Opal and All Saints. The Serpent (In Quicksilver) (1981), Abandoned Cities (1984), The White Arcades (1987), By The Dawn’s Early Light (1991), Music For 3 Pianos (1992), Through The Hill (1994, with Andy Partridge of XTC), and Luxa (1996). Also includes 76-page book compiling interviews and essays about Harold’s work from writers such as David Toop, Mark Prendergast and Mike Barnes.

John Carpenter – Assault On Precinct 13 [1976] CD/LP (Death Waltz)

Recorded in just one day, this minimal electro masterpiece by director/composer John Carpenter has been sampled by Afrika Bammbaataa, Tricky and covered countless times. This newly remastered version has been approved by director John Carpenter himself who has also supplied brand new and exclusive sleevenotes. Available on CD and HQ-180gm on bloody red and vanilla swirl vinyl.

Cheap Time – Exit Smiles CD (In The Red)
Nashville, Tennessee’s punk warlords Cheap Time soldier on, delivering their fourth studio album. Along with danceable art-rock stompers like “Kill The Light,” and “Slow Variety,” Exit Smiles also includes more progressive material like “Modern Taste” and the abrasive title track that opens the album. Vinyl version due December 10.

Bill Cosby – Far From Finished CD (Comedy Central)

In his first comedy special in thirty years, Cosby leaves the audience asking once again, “How did he get inside our house?” Whether he’s talking about friendship, first love, marriage or raising children, the result is people laughing so hard their faces hurt, their sides are splitting and they can’t breathe. Also available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Dead Meadow – Warble Womb CD (Xemu)

The sixth studio release for the D.C. psychedelic rock/stoner rock trio sees the return of drummer Mark Laughlin, who had left the band in 2002. Vinyl version due December 10.

Deicide – In The Minds Of Evil CD/LP (Century Media)

The infamous death metal blasphemers return with a new album.

Destroyer – Five Spanish Songs CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)

Dan Bejar writes: “It was 2013. The English language seemed spent, despicable, not easily singable. It felt over for English; good for business transactions, but that’s about it. The only other language I know is Spanish, and the only Spanish songs I really know are those of Sr. Chinarro, led by Antonio Luque. I’ve been a decades-long fan of how he conducted his affairs, his strange words, his melodies that have always felt so natural (this is important), his bitter songs about painting the light. Something about them, I knew I could do it…”

Five Iron Frenzy – Engine Of A Million Pilots CD/LP (139th Broadway)

New album from the Denver ska/punk veterans.

Florida Georgia Line – Here’s To The Good Times/This Is How We Roll CD (Republic)

Florida Georgia Line’s debut album has been expanded to include bonus tracks as well as a DVD featuring music videos and behind the scenes featurettes.

Nils Frahm – The Bells [Reissue/2009] CD/LP (Erased Tapes)

Nils Frahm – Wintermusik [Reissue/2010] CD/LP (Erased Tapes)

Nils Frahm – Felt [Reissue/2011] CD/LP (Erased Tapes)

Nils Frahm – Juno Reworked CD/LP (Erased Tapes)

Nils Frahm – Screws CD/LP (Erased Tapes)

Nils Frahm – Spaces CD/LP (Erased Tapes)

Berlin-based pianist Nils Frahm is already a firebrand in the modern classical world, collaborating with contemporaries such as Peter Broderick, Ólafur Arnalds and Anne Müller. His unconventional approach to an age-old instrument, played contemplatively and intimately, has won him many fans around the world.

The Gories – Shaw Tapes: Live In Detroit 5/27/88 CD/LP (Third Man)

Recorded at a party in a Detroit storefront in 1988, this live recording of The Gories captures the band at their apex. The dual-guitar attack of Dan Kroha’s smooth Fender Jaguar and Mick Collins screechy Kent Videocaster, coupled with the snare-less, cymbal-less, bass drum-less primitive drumming of Peggy O’Neill forms a perfect meld of ‘40s blues, ‘50s R&B, ‘60s garage and ‘70s punk. Dare we say it, but in terms of influence and reach, The Gories were the Velvet Underground of their day.

Hammock – Oblivion Hymns CD (Hammock Music)

Sixth album by Nashville based ambient duo Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson. “Our new record is our most orchestrated record to date. Big, big strings, horns, children’s choir and a guest vocal from Timothy Showalter of Strand of Oaks. It’s epic and a soul crusher. An ambitious undertaking for us.” Vinyl version due January 14.

Keith Jarrett – No End CD (ECM)

Recorded at his home studio in 1986, No End illuminates hitherto undocumented aspects of Keith Jarrett’s music. He is heard here on electric guitars, electric bass, drums and percussion, overdubbing tribal dances of his own devising.

Leaves Eyes – Symphonies Of The Night CD (Napalm)

Majestic and sweeping songs, beautiful melodies that will you breathless and a massive amount of catchiness. Clad with a perfect sound featuring a real orchestra, choir, Uilean pipes, Irish whistle, fiddle and dulcimer LEAVES’ EYES present a musical firework of the highest level.

Thelonious Monk – Paris 1969 CD/CD+DVD/LP (Blue Note)

Thelonious Monk Paris 1969 is a fascinating and important late-career document of the legendary Jazz pianist and composer in performance with his Quartet at the Salle Pleyel concert hall in Paris, France on December 15, 1969. The concert also featured a surprise guest appearance from renowned drummer Philly Joe Jones. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a DVD containing black and white video performance footage and an interview.

Kevin Morby – Harlem River CD/LP+MP3 (Woodsist)

“Harlem River marks the solo debut of songwriter Kevin Morby. Known for his work as the singer/guitarist for the Brooklyn band The Babies and bassist for Woods, the Kansas City native and new Los Angeles resident, calls the record “an homage to New York City”, his adopted home for the past five years.

NOFX – Stoke Extinguisher CD (Fat Wreck Chords)

Filled out by a rousing rendition of Tony Slys “The Shortest Pier,” the tongue-in-cheek “My Stepdads A Cop And My Stepmoms A Domme” and an even edgier demo version of “I Believe In Goddess,” Stoke Extinguisher is a compact punch of quintessential NOFX.

One Direction – Midnight Memories CD (Syco/Columbia)

The British pop superstars release their eagerly anticipated third studio album. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. The Deluxe Edition includes bonus music and a collectable package.

Pierce The Veil – Collide With The Sky & This Is A Wasteland CD+DVD (Fearless)

Pierce The Veil’s 2012 album Collide With The Sky is reissued and expanded with a 60-minute tour documentary DVD.

Pittbull – Meltdown CDEP (RCA)

Pittbull – Global Warming: Meltdown CD (RCA)

Meltdown is a new EP from rapper Pittbull. The album features five new tracks, including appearances by Ke$ha, Kelly Rowland and more. Global Warming: Meltdown is a deluxe-edition of the EP, super charged with bonus collaborations with Mayer Hawthorne, Mohombi and Inna.

Poco – From The Inside [Reissue/1971] CD (Iconoclassic)

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this 1971 album from the pioneering country rock band. Poco’s third studio album introduced a more rock oriented approach to record making with the introduction of former Illinois Speed Press guitarist Paul Cotton into the band.

Poison Idea – Kings Of Punk (Bloated Edition) 2xCD (Southern Lord)

Poison Idea’s landmark 1986 full length has been restored and remastered to its full power via double-CD on Southern Lord. Includes 42 bonus songs of live soundboard recordings from 1984-1986.

Puscifer – What Is… CD/2xLP (Puscifer Entertainment)

Puscifer answers the enduring question of what exactly Puscifer is with this new accompanying soundtrack to the stand-alone DVD of the same name. The two-hour sketch comedy show-meets-concert film builds upon and punctuates the multimedia format of the band’s live performances with skits from the stable of Puscifer characters such as Billy D, Hildy and Major Douche woven into the performance footage of the Maynard James Keenan led quintet.

Gabriel Saloman – Soldier’s Requiem CD/LP (Miasmah)

Four melancholic requiems for piano, guitar, and drums from the Yellow Swans member.

Shearwater – Fellow Travellers CD/LP (Sub Pop)

Fellow Travellers is a re-imagining and renovation of songs by bands Shearwater has toured with, including covers of tracks originally by Clinic, The Generals, and Xiu Xiu.

Sole – Crimes Against Totality CD (Black Canyon)

Crimes Against Totality is the final release in Sole’s Ruthless Criticism trilogy. Initiated last year, the series has since reaffirmed his place as “experimental rap pioneer,” breaking new ground among leftist zines, radical blogs and activist-minded people everywhere. Critics and fans heralded previous installments No Wising Up and Ruthless as some the artist’s greatest work to date; “a poetic blend of critical theory and experimental club beats.”

Tom Stoppard/Roger Waters – Darkside: A BBC Play For Radio 2xCD (Parlophone)

Darkside is a play written by Tom Stoppard for BBC Radio 2, incorporating music from Pink Floyd’s iconic The Dark Side Of The Moon. The play was an original commission by Radio 2 to mark the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd s album, and broadcast on 26 August 2013.

Barbara Streisand – Back To Brooklyn CD/CD+DVD (Sony)

Barbra’s triumphant return to Brooklyn is documented in this glorious CD from her 2012 Back To Brooklyn Tour. The album features nine songs that she has never performed on stage before. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus DVD.

Tennis – Small Sound CDEP (Communion)

Small Sounds serves as a precursor to the third full-length from husband and wife pair Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley, also known as Tennis, set to come out next spring. Vinyl version due December 10.

Thee Oh Sees – Singles Collection Volume Three CD (Castle Face)

Over the last 16 years, Bay Area garage rockers Thee Oh Sees have built up quite the sizable discography, including some 12 full-lengths, dozens of singles and EPs, and countless more contributions to various compilations. This latest offering features 10 tracks culled from the last several years of non-album releases, with particular emphasis on 2011.

Asmus Tietchens – In Die Nacht [Reissue/1982] CD/LP (Bureau B)

Asmus Tietchens – Litia [Reissue/1983] CD/LP (Bureau B)

Reissues of the third and fourth solo albums from one of Germany’s most renowned abstract music artists, launching into a peerless mix of stuttering beats and off-kilter harmonies.

This landmark box set is the ultimate artifact for Lee Hazlewood heads new and old contains a lavishly packaged, expansive 172-page LP sized hard cover book. But every good book deserves a soundtrack and in this case it comes in the form of a four CD anthology of the LHI label, along with the never-before-released 1970 film Cowboy In Sweden on DVD. A Deluxe Edition of the box set containing all of the above housed in a cloth-bound clamshell box (gold foil stamped and featuring a debossed silhouette of Lee) with reproductions of LHI-era artifacts including press photos and a reproduction plane ticket used by Hazlewood back in ’70. But for the deluxe version the true icing on the cake is three DVD data discs which include just about every 45 single and every LP ever released on LHI – in both WAV and MP3 formats, along with cover and label art. At around 17 albums and 72 singles (totaling 305 songs!), that’s a whole lot of Lee.

Punk 45 charts the rise of underground Punk across the US in the years 1973-1980. Features a collection of seminal, classic, obscure and rare punk and proto-punk 45 singles from the likes of Pere Ubu, The Zeros, The Randoms, Electric Eels, The Pagans, The Deadbeats, The Lewd and many more — a lightning rod journey across the states of America — Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, Akron, New Orleans, Philadelphia — tracing the rise of punk music in these various towns and cities. The album comes complete with extensive text, biographies on each of the bands, exclusive photos and original record artwork.

Peter Walker – Has Anyone Seen Our Freedoms? CD/LP+MP3 (Delmore)

Lost 1970 solo studio recording by legendary folk/raga/psychedelic/acoustic guitarist. Walker’s music has been celebrated by the late Jack Rose, James Blackshaw, Steffen Basho-Junghans, Thurston Moore, and Greg Davis, who all contributed original compositions to the 2006 tribute album, A Raga For Peter Walker. “…A bigger influence on my acoustic playing than John Fahey or Robbie Basho” — Ben Chasney, Six Organs Of Admittance. Vinyl version features a bonus track and download.

Stefan Wesolowski – Liebestod CD (Important)

The album Liebestod, from Polish composer Stefan Wesolowski, consists of repetitive compositions written for piano, brass instruments, strings, and electronics. The title itself is derived from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, which says a lot about Wesolowski’s primary inspirations.

Emily Jane White – Blood/Lines CD (Important)

Recorded in a secluded studio in Sonoma County, the quiet environment provided Emily a place to explore new directions with artistic integrity and creative control, layering synthesizer, electric

guitar, and multiple tracks of vocals into nine heavily reverbed scenes. With the help of friends and collaborators, Emily’s worlds were diversified with strings, backing vocals, and heavy drums.

Features vocal contributions from Marissa Nadler.

Richard Youngs – Calmont Breakdown CD (Fourth Dimension)

New solo album by the highly prolific yet always captivating Richard Youngs, whose music can waver healthily between new forms of singer-songwriter material, lo-fi drones and all manner of avant-garde forms/non-forms. Here, his music sways towards the difficult and embraces organ drones and swells, frazzled electronics, a voice that is at once unnerving and unnerved, and more besides.

This is the definitive documentary about the beloved and influential ‘70s rock band Big Star. Together less than four years, the band flirted with mainstream success but never achieved it. Nonetheless, they produced a body of work of seminal importance to pop and alternative music, influencing major artists like R.E.M., The Replacements, Elliot Smith, Beck, The Flaming Lips and countless others. 111 minutes.

Live: Gathered In Their Masses was recorded April 29 and May 1, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia when the band — Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar) and Geezer Butler (bass) — kicked off their world tour in support of their 13th album. 190 minutes.

Bill Cosby – Far From Finished DVD/Blu-ray (Comedy Central)

Bill Cosby partners up with Comedy Central for his first comedy special in over two decades. Far From Finished is the highly anticipated look back into the funny, satirical and heart-warming style of the iconic comedy legend himself. 95 minutes.

Puscifer – What Is… DVD (Pucifer Entertainment)

Puscifer answers the enduring question of what exactly Puscifer is with this new DVD. The two-hour sketch comedy show-meets-concert film builds upon and punctuates the multimedia format of the band’s live performances with skits from the stable of Puscifer characters such as Billy D, Hildy and Major Douche woven into the performance footage of the Maynard James Keenan led quintet.

This collection of the group’s BBC sessions mixed versions of their hits with a treasure trove of 30 songs The Beatles performed on air but never released on record in the 1960s. Available for the first time on three pieces of HQ-180gm vinyl in a double gatefold package.

Originally issued in 1981 on Budd’s own imprint Cantil, The Serpent (In Quicksilver) features short but incisive piano meditations with carefully layered electronic washes and bursts of pedal steel guitar, conjuring mental images of his desert upbringing. Abandoned Cities is perhaps the darkest entry in his voluminous back catalogue with a quasi-industrial element to the sonic palette. Two 20-minute+ tracks that evoke a postapocalyptic soundworld with heavy synth drone and suspended single piano notes. 1994’s Through The Hill was a collaboration between Budd and the eccentric English pop genius Partridge (XTC) and features atmospheric instrumentals, off-kilter melodies and beguiling song poems.

Burning Tree – Lammergyer LP (Utech)

Harsh free jazz record inspired by the great duo records of the seventies where the A-side contained material more easily absorbed and the B-side dug deeper with a sidelong cut. Dirty sax and euphoric drums develop the idea of using the form and intensity from noise music in a free jazz setting.

Bobby Draino – Brain Drain 12” (100% Silk)

Before birthing his blasted acid house identity, Bobby Draino drummed for various synth-punked groups around Vancouver, and some of that scorched-earth live energy bleeds through the five primordial bangers comprising his vinyl debut Brain Drain. Tracked live through one channel of a space echo straight to his computer, Draino’s overdriven drum machines, fried acid grit, bass damage and blown-tone sequencer patterns are fused into a radical and weird debased mutant house.

John Carpenter – Halloween [1978] 2xLP (Mondo)

In celebration of its 35th anniversary, Mondo is pleased to present the soundtrack to John Carpenter’s Halloween. This release features the most comprehensive version of the soundtrack, never before released on vinyl. HQ-180gm.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – The Speed Of Things LP (WB)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. After the positive comparisons to The Beatles, The Beach Boys and classic Motown that emerged after their released their debut album It’s A Corporate World, Detroit duo Josh Epstein and DanielZott — better known as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. — release their second album.

Ex & Getatchew Mekuria – Y’Anbessaw Tezeta [2012] 2xLP (Terp)

Quite unexpectedly last year, at age 76, Getatchew Mekuria expressed an urge to make one more recording. This one, with The Ex — probably the last one in his life. The result is stunning. Deep, old, classic melodies. Deep, sensitive and fragile instrumentals, amazing horn-riffs and solos. But also danceable, with up-tempo war-chants.

Fanfarlo – The Sea 12” (New World Records)

This four-track EP is the first new music from the band in 18 months and follows the early 2012 release of their album Rooms Filled With Light. New album due next year.

The Fireworks – Runaround 7” (Shelflife)

Intoxicating head-bobbing noise pop.

The Gist – Embrace The Herd [Reissue/1983] LP (1972)

Though lesser-known than Young Marble Giants’ output, the sole LP from Stuart Moxham’s The Gist is an essential entry in the great canon of English post-punk. As the principle composer in Young Marble Giants, Moxham honed minimal songwriting to maximal effect with the help of early electronic experimentation. He formed The Gist shortly before Young Marble Giants’ dissolution to realize experiments in sound outside his primary group’s mold and feature friends from such bands as Essential Logic and Swell Maps.

Glen Hansard – Drive All Night 12” (Anti)

Anchored by the title track, a compelling cover of the Springsteen classic, this EP is a tribute to The Boss and his legacy. Features Eddie Vedder and Clarence Clemons’ nephew Jake. CD version due December 3.

Hyrrokkin – Pristine Origin LP (Sick Room)

Debut album from this instrumental avant-rock power trio with boundless energy and a knack for navigating off-kilter, polyrhythmic arrangements. Pristine Origin features seven sprawling, energetic compositions, marked with the influence of serialism, free jazz, and the creative rock output from labels like Dischord, Homestead, and Touch & Go.

With their eighth full-length album, nomadic sludge death-drone duo Jucifer channels the soul/soil of a place called Volgograd into an hour and seventeen minutes of music as storied and powerful as the land and people to which they have dedicated this latest offering. Sonic S&M for the modern, corroded soul; untouchable epithets of beauty; grim odes to all that’s heavy.

K11 – Another Temple To The Great Beast 666 CD (Utech)

K11 is a project of Italian sound artist Pietro Riparbelli and lives within the world of radio signals, transcommunication and other invisible phenomena, to create a dimension where the main sound sources are signals from shortwave radio receivers. Another Temple To The Great Beast 666 has been composed from said sound sources recorded during an Instrumental Transcommunication Action realized within the Temple of Diana in Cefalù, Sicily. The temple is famously known for its association with Aleister Crowley and The Abbey of Thelema, founded in 1920.

For the obligatory band reference, one could start by imaging what The F##king Champs’ IV would have sounded like if they had been more into the McLaughlin/Santana LP Love, Devotion, Surrender instead of Iron Maiden’s Piece Of Mind.

John Mayer – Paradise Valley LP (Columbia)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and musician John Mayer returns with his new album Paradise Valley, which he produced with longtime collaborator Don Was.

Metallica – Metallica Through The Never OST 3xLP (Rhino/Blackened Recordings)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Award-winning filmmaker Nimród Antal (Predators, Kontroll) creates a groundbreaking 3-D motion picture event, Metallica Through The Never. The music-driven feature film combines a bold narrative and spectacular live-performance footage of one of the most popular and influential rock bands in history to produce a bracing, raw and visceral cinematic experience. Recorded live at Rexell Place, Edmonton, Alberta on August 17 & 18, 2012 and at Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia on August 24, 25 and 27, 2012, this soundtrack consists of 15 classic Metallica songs — from their early work (“Hit The Lights”) to the more recent (“Cyanide”).

M.I.A. – Matangi LP (Interscope)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The eagerly awaited fourth album from the British R&B vocalist and rapper features collaborations and production from The Weeknd, Switch, Hit-Boy, Danja, The Partysquad, Surkin and others.

Phill Niblock – Nothin To Look At Just A Record [Reissue/1982] LP (Superior Viaduct)

Phill Niblock has pushed the boundaries of sound and visual art for over 40 years. While dutifully producing experimental films and curating multi-media loft performances in New York’s 1960s avant-garde circles, Niblock developed a composition technique informed by American minimalists such as Tony Conrad and La Monte Young. Nothin To Look At Just A Record, originally released on esteemed 20th century/jazz label India Navigation in 1982, is Niblock’s recording debut and often cited as his masterpiece.

Coffins from Japan churn out filthy noise. Oakland, CA’s Noothgrush are one of the pioneers of sludge and return with their first brand new material in over 13 years.

Ogassa – Ogassa Story LP (Hot Casa)

First-ever reissue of this ultra-rare second album from the beloved Afro-soul collective.

Pine Barrens – Kingmaker LP (SuperFi)

Pine Barrens efficiently fuse hardcore punk to black metal, among other things, to create an intense and surprisingly catchy experience. For those that care, the band features current and ex-members of Beecher, Atavist, Extinction of Mankind, The Ergon Carousel and Hammers.

The album titled Shovels & Rope was originally released in 2008 as a collaboration by two then-solo artists, Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent. After a few years of touring together as Cary Ann Hearst & Michael Trent, the two decided to adopt the name of their album Shovels & Rope as the official band name.

Eyes closed, ears wide open, we are given freedom to dream the void. Sweeping, intricate, sometimes ominous yet always exuding a warmth and depth of emotion, The Stargazer’s Assistant produces pure cinema of sound. For the new EP, David J. Smith (Guapo) is joined by Circle vocalist Mika Rättö, who sings on the heart-breaking “Coral Butterfly.” David also had the honor of playing the late Finnish jazz drummer Edward Vesala’s Sound & Fury collection of unique metal percussion. Ancient forests, vast plains, billowing clouds, rusted metal hulks, wet rock walls, lights flickering in darkness: these are the subtle visions of The Stargazer’s Assistant.

Stereolab – Cobra And Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (1972]

Cobra And Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night is Stereolab’s sixth studio album and a return to the poppier tendencies the band had left behind on their previous full-length, Dots And Loops. Where that album was an amalgam of often chilled, abstract electronica, prog and jazz, this work’s exotic pop features warm Moog textures, bursting horns and lush, layered vocals.

Stereolab – Sound-Dust [Reissue/2001] 2xLP (1972]

Released in late 2001, Sound-Dust found Stereolab firmly in the midst of their second phase. After taking a two-year break, the band returned with a strong melodic focus and a highly evolved, sophisticated style of writing that further displayed their growing talents. Many fans and critics consider the album to be among the group’s finest.

Various Artists – I Need You Bad LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)

I Need You Bad documents the San Francisco garage rock scene (and a little bit beyond) as it exists here and now. Curated by one of its most vital members, Sonny Smith, the compilation features some bands you already know (Sonny & The Sunsets, The Sandwitches, Warm Soda) and others you’ll wish you had discovered sooner. Slime green vinyl with download code.

Vasaeleth – Cryptborn And Tethered To Ruin [2010] LP (20 Buck Spin)

Vasaeleth – All Uproarious Darkness LP (20 Buck Spin)

In 2010, death metal duo Vasaeleth released their debut LP Cryptborn And Tethered To Ruin, a violent, domineering march of unholy blasphemy. Equal parts blasting chaos and slowed-down battery, it is a monstrous album that instantly signaled Vasaeleth as a top contender to the US death metal throne. Early this past September they returned with a barbarous five-track mini-album titled All Uproarious Darkness, which is also available on vinyl for the first time.